Soybean and Other Legume Proteins Exhibit Beneficial Physiological Effects on Metabolic Syndrome and Inflammatory-Related Disorders

There is currently a trend in Western countries to increase the intake of plant proteins. In this chapter, the author explains that this is due to the beneficial physiological functions of plant proteins, based on the latest literature review and our own research results. Among plant proteins, soy protein has been reported to have many beneficial effects on the improvement and prevention of metabolic syndrome. This chapter outlines the excellent effects of soy protein on renal function [improvement of early symptoms of diabetic nephropathy], which is closely related to metabolic syndrome, and the effects of combining these effects as complementary medicine. In addition, recent findings about the anti-inflammatory and immune activation effects of soy protein as hydrolyzed peptides are outlined. A brief introduction of the recent results of other legume-derived proteins that have replaced soy proteins are also explained. By further deepening our understanding of the superior physiological functions of plant proteins, it is hoped that their use expands even further.

Predicting the allergenicity of legume proteins using a PBMC gene expression assay

Background Food proteins differ in their allergenic potential. Currently, there is no predictive and validated bio-assay to evaluate the allergenicity of novel food proteins. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of a human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) gene expression assay to identify biomarkers to predict the allergenicity of legume proteins. Results PBMCs from healthy donors were exposed to weakly and strongly allergenic legume proteins (2S albumins, and 7S and 11S globulins from white bean, soybean, peanut, pea and lupine) in three experiments. Possible biomarkers for allergenicity were investigated by exposing PBMCs to a protein pair of weakly (white bean) and strongly allergenic (soybean) 7S globulins in a pilot experiment. Gene expression was measured by RNA-sequencing and differentially expressed genes were selected as biomarkers. 153 genes were identified as having significantly different expression levels to the 7S globulin of white bean compared to soybean. Inclusion of multiple protein pairs from 2S albumins (lupine and peanut) and 7S globulins (white bean and soybean) in a larger study, led to the selection of CCL2, CCL7, and RASD2 as biomarkers to distinguish weakly from strongly allergenic proteins. The relevance of these three biomarkers was confirmed by qPCR when PBMCs were exposed to a larger panel of weakly and strongly allergenic legume proteins (2S albumins, and 7S and 11S globulins from white bean, soybean, peanut, pea and lupine). Conclusions The PBMC gene expression assay can potentially distinguish weakly from strongly allergenic legume proteins within a protein family, though it will be challenging to develop a generic method for all protein families from plant and animal sources. Graded responses within a protein family might be of more value in allergenicity prediction instead of a yes or no classification.

A Comprehensive Review on Protein Isolates from Legumes

Legumes play an vital function in human body due to dietary fiber, protein, minerals and vitamins and well-balanced essential amino acid. Legume proteins have gained increasing significance because of preferred functional properties, including gelling and emulsifying properties. Legumes contains anti nutritional compounds like Trypsin inhibitor(TIs), Phytic acid(PA), Tannin, Saponin, Lectins, They are not a major concern for most people, but may become a problem during periods of malnutrition, these can be easily removed by dehulled, cooking, thermal process, germination after soaking. Protein isolates are advanced form of protein containing the greater amount of protein with greater digestibility. There are different types of protein isolates like chickpea, whey protein Pea protein, cowpea protein isolates .The extraction methods of protein isolates are Iso electric extraction and alkaline extraction, citric acid extraction. Our aim of this paper is to optimize the protein isolate for diet people and innovate research in this field to produce some protein enriched food formulations.

Modification of Legume Proteins for Improved Functionality

Recent studies have indicated that legume proteins can be potentially used as an alternative to animal-derived protein ingredients for many food and biomaterial applications, however some modifications may be first required to improve their functionality since they show relatively lower solubility and functional properties compared to commonly used animal-based proteins. A variety of physical, chemical or biological processes can be used to achieve these modifications in structural, physicochemical, and functional properties of legume proteins. The aim of this chapter was to review the most recent studies focusing on modification of structural properties and improvement of functionality of legume proteins. Effects of processing conditions on protein functionality were discussed. Special emphasis was given to the structure–function mechanisms behind these changes. Since the performance of modified legume proteins has been shown to depend on a variety of factors; parameters used in the modification process have to be optimized to achieve the desired level of improvement in legume protein functionality. Each modification method has been indicated to have its own advantages and limitations in terms of performance and applicability in different food matrices. Further studies are required to investigate the interactions of modified legume proteins with other food components during food processing and storage. Furthermore, additional research on the effects of modification treatments on flavor profile and nutritional properties of legume proteins is needed as well.